Houston survived a thrilling comeback effort from Oregon State on Monday to become the first team of the 2021 NCAA Tournament to punch its ticket to the Final Four. The second-seeded Cougars held on for a 67-61 win over the 12th-seeded Beavers to emerge victorious in the Midwest Regional Final.
The Cougars led at halftime by 17 points and with 10 minutes to play by a dozen points, but the Beavers dammed up defensively to stage a 17-5 run to tie the game up with just under four minutes to play.
Yet Houston kept coming in waves by crashing the glass and making big shots to find separation late, finally thwarting Oregon State's last-ditch efforts to save its season by draining five free throws in the final minute of play.
Houston star Marcus Sasser led the way with 20 points in the effort despite going just 5-of-17 from the field. Quentin Grimes added 18 points on an inefficient 5-of-15 shooting. But the Cougars were able to withstand the shooting struggles by dominating the boards and finishing with a 41-29 edge on the glass, including 19 offensive boards that led to 19 second-chance points. They took 15 more shots total, winning with a less efficient shooting percentage from the floor and from 3 by getting extra looks and going 16-of-24 from the line.
Here are three quick takeaways from the Cougar's Final Four-clinching victory on Monday.
1. Houston's glory returns from Phi Slama Jama era
Houston's been plenty relevant the last few decades, but the Final Four -- and postseason success in general -- has eluded the program like the plague since the Phi Slama Jama era. But the win over Oregon State puts the Cougars back into the Final Four for the first time since 1984, a throwback to the glory days of Houston basketball and a nod to the brilliance of coach Kelvin Sampson and the job he's done building the program.
2. Oregon State's free throw hot streak goes cold
Against Oklahoma State in the Round of 32 and Loyola Chicago in the Sweet 16, Oregon State shot a scorching 50-of-55 from the free throw line. Yet against Houston, its charity stripe hot streak went cold as it finished 11-of-20 from the line. Difference in the game? Not necessarily. Oregon State had its chances and dug its way into such a huge deficit that being tied late was borderline miraculous. But if the Beavs shoot 17-of-20 from the line instead, maybe this is a different outcome.
3. Offensive rebounding won Houston the game
Houston ranks No. 2 in offensive rebounding rate this season, according to KenPom.com data, and that proved to be the difference in the game Monday as it pulled down 19 offensive boards and added 19 points to its total off second-chance points. With a starting front line that features no player taller than 6-foot-8, Houston all season -- and especially Monday -- thrived on tip-outs that led to easy buckets and on putbacks around the rim.
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